TUCSON, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- An asteroid colliding with Earth could wipe out the ozone layer forcing humans into a vampire-like life of hiding indoors during daylight hours, scientists say.
Scientists at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Ariz., say an asteroid a half-mile wide could create a worldwide hole in the ozone layer with a massive loss of protection against the sun's ultraviolet radiation, LiveScience.com reported Tuesday.
Their computer models showed ozone destruction resulting from an asteroid impact in the world's oceans launching seawater vapor hundreds of miles into the atmosphere.
Chemical elements such as chloride and bromide that separated from the water vapor could destroy the ozone layer that protects life on Earth from the worst of mutation-causing UV rays, they say.
"The thing with the asteroid is that it ejects the water vapor way up there -- we're talking hundreds of kilometers," institute scientist Elisabetta Pierazzo said. "It really goes to the highest extent of the atmosphere."
Pierazzo says the next step will be to model the effect on the atmosphere of an asteroid strike on land with a combination of dust blocking out incoming sunlight and other possible chemical effects on the ozone.
